Pauline Theology

Presentation on “The ministry of the Church”.

Submitted to: Anni Singh

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Introduction

The Greek word ecclesia is the word used for the “Church” in the New
Testament. The word ecclesia means “called out” or separate. Paul uses the word
“church” in different senses: it is used to refer to an assembly which greater to
worship (1 Cor. 11:18, 22; also used nine times in 1 Cor. 14). The Hebrew word
“Qahal” used in the Old Testament to refer to an assembly or congregation which
greater for worship is translated asecclesia in the Septuagint version of the Bible
(LXX)1. Here in this paper we will see the ministry ofn the church in Paul
perspective.

1. The church’s foundation

This is not only the most important statements about the church in the Bible,
but also one of the most controversial. Some people teach that Peter himself is the
rock on which the church is build, but that’s not what Jesus said. He used a play
on the words here that is important to understand because it gives us the clue to
Jesus meaning. “Peter” is the word Petros, a masculine form of the word for a
stone. But the word rock that Jesus used next in Matthew 16:18 is petra, which is a
feminine form of the same root word. Which means many stone joined together to
form a rock, such as a ledge or slab. Paul likened it to a human body in which all
the individual parts are knit together to form one whole (1 Cor. 12:12; Eph. 4 16).
The analogy is different, but the point is the same. The church is not build on Peter
alone, but on Peter, the other apostles, and all .those who believe and confess that
Jesus is “the Christ, the son of the living God” coming together to form larger
entity called the church.2 Paul use the term ‘church’ to denote the entire number of

1
M.V. Abraham, Theology of St. Paul (Tiruvalla: ChristavaSahityaSamithi, 2008), 44.
2
Tony Evans, Theology you can count on, (Chicago: Moody publisher, 2008), 883-884.
Christian faithful who have been or shall be united to Christ as their savior, both in
heaven and earth (Eph. 1:22; 3:10, 21; 5:23-25, 27, 32; Col. 1:18,24).3

2. Paul and the unity of the church

One of the major concerned expressed in Pauline letter is to help the church
understand its unity as the new covenant people of God. The Greek team used for
“united” may carry the connection of restoring to prior condition,

Paul assertion that the church is the body of Christ cannot mean the identity
of the church with one of these other meanings but it’s rather an analogical or
metaphorical use of the phrase. (Some theologians such as pittenger, Kirk and
Johnston, have asserted that Paul’s statement is “more than a metaphor”, but the
only thing more than a metaphor is an identity). The main points that Paul is
making about the church in his use of the body metaphor are as follows: First,
Christian are united with Christ and with each other by their spirit of Christ or the
Holy Spirit. Thus church is the body of Christ because it is the community in
which the Spirit of Christ dwells. Secondly, Christian receives various gifts of the
Spirit for different functions in the community. These are given for the benefit and
well-being of the whole community. Thirdly, the church is the body of Christ in
that, through the Spirit Christ is the ruling, inspiring, sustaining and uniting power
in the church. Fourthly, Christian became members of the church by sacramental
incorporation, by baptism into the death and resurrection of Christ, and by
participating in the body and blood of Christ in the Eucharist.4

3.Pauline metaphors of the Church.

3.1. The church as the Body of Christ.

In the letters to Ephesians and Colossians the church is pictured as the

“body of Christ” (Col. 1:18,24; the same idea is also seen in col. 1:28, and
indirectly in 2:19; in Ephesians also there are two direct references to the
church as the body of Christ Eph. 1:23; 5:30). 5

3
Robert L. Reymond, missionary Paul Theologian, (Finland: WS Bookwell, 2002), 496
4
M.V. Abraham, Theology of St. Paul, 46
 3.2. The church as the temple of God.
Paul compare his works as a missionary apostle to that of a skilled
master builder who laid his foundation on this spiritual building is Jesus
Christ (Cor. 3:11). The different materials in the construction represent the
quality of the workmanship (1 Cor. 3:12, Tim. 2:20-21), the building to
which the church is compared is the temple. Temple is a spiritual house
where the divine Spirit lives6.

3.3. The church as the Bride of Christ

2 Corinthian 11:2 “for I have espoused you to one husband, which I
may present you as a chaste virgin of Christ.” Christ is the bridegroom, john
3:29. The weeding will take place in Revelation 19:7, “let us be glade and
rejoice, and give honor to Him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come and his
wife hath made herself ready… she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean
and white.”7
3.4. The temple of the Holy Spirit or of God.
The church of Corinth is called “a temple of God,” in which
the Holy Spirit dwelled, I Cor. 3:16. In Ephesians 2:21,22 Paul
speaks of believers as growing into “a holy temple in the Lord,”
and as being built together for “a habitation of God in the Spirit.”
There the name is applied to the ideal Church of the future, which
is the church universal. And Peter says that believers as living
stones are built up “a spiritual house,” I Pet. 2:5. The connection
clearly shows that he is thinking of a temple. This figure
emphasizes the fact that the Church is holy and inviolable. The
indwelling of the Holy Spirit imparts to her an exalted character.
5. Ministry of the Church.

This involves evangelism toward on unbelievers in the world (Acts8:4;

11:19, 20; 16:31; 17:12) and a variety of ministers toward believers in the church

6
J.T. Daniel, ed., An Introduction to Christian Studies (Pondicherry: Mission Press, 2001), 227.
7
Alban douglas, Basic Bible Doctrine (Udyor Bhavan: GLS publishing, 2005), 339.
fellowship. It involves the exercises of spiritual gifts in ministering to one another
(Rom. 12:3-8;1 Cor. 12; Eph. 4:8-13) and, by that token, serving others (Rom.
12:7), giving to the needs of others (Rom. 12:8), showing mercy (Rom. 12:8), and
helping others (1 Cor. 12:28). Ministry also involve the exercise of church
discipline and it is necessary to exercise church discipline because of immorality (1
Cor. 5:1-13) and false doctrine (2 Thess. 3:14; 2 John 10). Ministry must also
involve the care of the needy of the church, particularly widows (James 1:27).8

5.1. Evangelism.

As a church it has to do evangelism to the believer and unbeliever

because Jesus showed the best example of doing evangelism. Jesus’ last
words to His disciples is evangelism. In Matthew 28:19 “He instructed them,
Go therefore and make disciples of all nations.” In Acts 1:8 he says, “But
you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you
shall be my witness in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria and to the end
of the world.” The call of evangelism is a commanded.9 Jesus as an
‘apostle’ sent by the father “was faithful to the one who appointed him”
(Heb. 3:1-3). As Jesus preached with the father’s delegated authority, so
Jesus appointed apostles to preached which his delegated authority (Mark
6:7) and spirit-endued power (John 20:21; Acts 1:8; 2:4). Hence peter asked
people to remember not only the word spoken in the past by the Holy
prophets but also “the commend given by our Lord and savior through your
apostles” (2 Peter 3:2).10

5.2. Discipline.

When we misbehaved as a child, our mother might have said

something like this: “what is wrong with you child? You didn’t learn that in
this house. You are acting like one of those in the street!”

The same problem God also has with his children so it is the duty of the
church to discipline. Consider the ill-mannered Corinthian believers who
were making a shame of the Lord’s supper by being gluttonous and even

8
Paul Enns, Moody hand book of Theology (Chicago: Moody Publishers, 2008), 366.
9
Millard J. Erickson, Introducing Christian Doctrine. (Michigan: Barker Book House, 1994), 337.
10
Gordon R. Lewis and Bruce A. Demarest, Interrogative Theology (Grand Rapides: Zondarvan, 1994), 115.
 getting drunk (1 Cor. 11:21). Paul took the mess in no uncertain terms and
warned the church, “for these reason many among you are weak and sick,
and a number sleep” (vs. 30)11.

5.3. Teaching.

Teaching is also a part of the church ministry because God has given
the Gift (1 Cor. 12:28-29; Rom. 12: 7) of teaching so the churches need to
use it to teach the weak brothers. Teaching must have solid content, because
Christians are people of the truth. Jesus commands us that we are to obey are
content in the word. The church today has too many “spiritual bulimics”
who take in the word at the church on Sunday; the goal of biblical teaching
is to combine information and knowledge with skill in applying truth to
daily life.12

5.4. Fellowship.

Relationships are very important to God. The only thing God said was
not good about His creation was that Adam was “alone” (Gen. 2 18). God
did not choose human to isolate but to be in unity, the Bible has a lot to say
about the church’s fellowship, one interesting clue to the important place
that fellowships hold in the Body of Christ is found in Galatians 2:9.13 For
Paul it is a theological expression of the validity of his work among
Gentiles, a sure sign that have completely accepted into God’s work among
the Jews. Heaving fellowship with one another can help the fellow believers
or unbelievers to understand one another and can live in harmony. The
Church is a collection of both Jewish and Gentile believers in
Jesus. Galatians 3:28, “there is neither Jew nor Greek, there is
neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are
all one in Christ Jesus.” There is not a distinction among peoples
and groups in the eyes of God in the Church of Jesus.
Conclusion.

The ministry of the church is very big and the church has a very big role to
play on it. As Apostle Paul himself has teach how the church by going and
11
Tony Evans, Theology you can count on (Chicago: Moody Publishers, 1995), 318.
12
Tony Evans, Theology you can count, 906.
13
J. R. McRay, “Fellowship” in Evangelical Dictionary of Theology, edited by Walter A. Elwell.(Grand Rapids,
Michigan: Baker Book house company, 2001), 445.
evangelizing the people, planting churches, teaching them the ethics of how to be
as a believer as a Christian and so on. He has use so many metaphors words
referring the church so we need to focus in both the side and go on doing our
ministry.

Bibliography.

Abraham M.V. Theology of St. Paul. Tiruvalla: ChristavaSahityaSamithi, 2008.

Bruce A. Demarest and Gordon R. Lewis and, Introgative Theology. Grand

Rapides: Zondarvan.
Daniel J.T. ed., An Introduction to Christian Studies. Pondicherry: Mission Press,
2001.

Douglas Alban. Basic BibleDoctrine. Udyor Bhavan: GLS publishing, 2005.

Enns Paul. Moody hand book of Theology. Chicago: Moody Publishers, 2008.
Erickson J.Millared. Introducing Christian Doctrine. Michigan: Barker Book
House, 1994.
Evans Tony. Theology you can count on. Chicago: Moody publisher, 2008.
McRay J. R. “Fellowship” in Evangelical Dictionary of Theology, edited by
Walter A. Elwell. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Baker Book house company, 2001.
Robert L. Reymond, Missionary Paul Theologian. Finland: WS Bookwell, 2002.